Wednesday, August 17, 2016

40 Day Flood

17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 7:17-24, NKJV

40 Day Flood

Everything happened exactly as God had said. While Noah and his family and all of the animals on the ark were tucked safely away, the rains continued on the earth for 40 days. The waters continued to rise until everything--even the highest mountain top--was covered. Verses 21 & 22 tell us,

And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.

What a sobering thought. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. The calm that followed the storm must have been an eerie sound to those upon the ark. From outside, no birds cheered the early morning dawn and no insects began to chirp at sunset. When those upon the ark peered outside their little window, the only thing they saw was water stretching out in every direction.

It is not a time that we can even imagine. Even in our worst floods, though the devastation is great, it never even begins to reach the devastation of this 40-day flood.

Every person who lives on the earth today is a direct descendant of Noah's family. From these 8 people, the earth would again be repopulated.

What are we to learn from this time? First, yes, the worldwide flood did really occur. There are those today who say it was just a localized flood, but that is not the case. When God said the waters covered the earth, even above the highest mountain, they actually did cover the earth.

God is God. Just as He created the earth by the words of His mouth, so He destroyed the earth when the wickedness upon the earth was so great that He could not allow it to endure. Yet God, seeing that Noah was a righteous man, saved Noah and his family from the great devastation.

Will the earth ever again be destroyed by a flood? No! Will the earth ever again be destroyed due to its great wickedness? Yes!

Just as God saved Noah, so God saves a people today. At the end of time, when the earth is destroyed by fire, God's people will be delivered safely to heaven and will live in the new heavens and new earth that God creates.

What an amazing God we serve. He not only sees each and every person alive on this earth, but He also sees into their heart of hearts. He knows those who truly love Him and those who do not. Let us fall before our dear Lord and Savior and cry out to Him for salvation. And, let us seek to serve Him faithfully all of the rest of the days of our lives.

No comments:

Follow by Email

Followers

About Me

I live in Pella, Iowa, with my husband, 1 child still at home, 1 dog and 2 cats. Along with this blog, I have a website: Devotional Reflections from the Bible. In addition, I am a piano teacher. I know I am truly blessed to be able to do two of the most important things in my life - write Bible devotionals and teach music.
God is so very good. My goal is to encourage others in their walk with the Lord, and to present the Gospel in a clear and direct manner. Christ is everything to me and that is my goal for my readers as well.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1, KJV
God Bless You,
Linda